Alteration
by Pure
Summary: Two young women travel to Japan and run into a mysterious, yet powerful demon. They're driven through a portal that leads them to where the Z-fighters await Frieza's arrival, leaving them all shocked of the sudden change in their life. R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note_**_: _This is my first fanfic, so I hope you like it. I could really use some reviews too, so I know if I'm doing alright so far. But anyway, the second chapter will switch over to DBZ, so don't worry!

                                                                                                         **Alteration**

**Chapter** **One**

           Dusk had been setting over the thousands of miles of Brazilian landscape in its early days of spring. Birds of every size, shape, and kind had taken to the trees, while the bats crawled out from the crevices of the earth to take flight. The many other nocturnal mammals snuck out from their dens or nests to search for an evening meal. Vicious and hungry carnivores were mostly the first ones to slip out into the forests during the night. Showing no shred of mercy, these creatures would take down any physically weaker animals, even if they were twice as big as themselves. 

            The beasts, being mostly large cats, stalked out into the forest. One of the lone beasts had split from the rest of the pack, searching for a kill of its own. Lifting its nose to the sky, the hunter caught the scent of two deer. Taking off in the direction of its target, the beast's massive paws pounded on the forest floor with deadly stealth. Upon reaching the hunter's destination, it spotted the two female deer in a small, mostly-dirt clearing, which had been bare of any trees. The beast narrowed its yellow, slitted eyes and circled around the clearing, hidden in the brush and foliage of the dense forest. Tensing its muscles, the beast froze on the spot and got ready to attack. Both of the does' lifted their heads and perked their large ears in alert of the hunter. A split second later, the creature lunged out of the brush, causing one of the deer to bound off in terror, while the other awaited the oncoming attacker. The beast descended upon the lone doe, which seemed to have rooted itself to the ground, and pounced toward its right side with all its might.

              In a blur of motion, the doe leapt to the side, letting the hungry creature land on nothing, but dirt. Recovering quickly from surprise, the beast lunged to the right, determined to take the animal down. In mid-leap, the doe had disappeared from sight yet again, leaving the beast totally baffled. Before its paws had a chance to reach the ground, an iron grip had locked around its throat and left the beast to swing helplessly in the air. In a wave of panic and instinct, the beast lashed its claws out at its assailant in attempt to free itself. This only made the assaulter's firm grasp tighten around the beast's neck, making its thrashing movements falter slightly. With one last attempt, the beast twisted its lower body and wrapped its powerful back legs around the attacker's arm, that still had a hold of its neck, then slammed its paws back at the attacker's face.

              The assailant immediately freed the beast from their grasp, allowing its intelligent counter-attack to fail as they watched the beast drop to the ground. In a split second, the animal was on all fours again, growling threateningly at its attacker. Its muscles tensed as it lunged at the intruder who dare disturb its hunt.

               In one swift movement, the assailant jerked to the side, avoiding the attack. A blur was the only thing the beast had seen from them before a strong force had slammed against the entire left side of its body, sending the beast crashing into a tree and falls unconscious to the ground. The assailant stepped over to the fallen beast, lifted their hands up into the dark hood that had concealed them, and lowered it to reveal the face of a young woman of mixed race. She appeared tall and lean, as well as elegant, with flowing light brown hair and the facial features of one of Elvin blood, including the long, pointed ears that framed her enchanting appearance. Her eyes seemed to be the most alien part of her face, having them the color of crystalline blue, with the slitted pupils of a dragon.

               She gazed down at the unconscious beast, and then averted her attention to the path that the frightened doe had leapt off into, while she had remained. Shape shifting from a doe, back to her original form had to be done quickly and accurately; otherwise the hesitation would be to the beast's advantage. She turned from the fallen creature to look off into the forest. "Come out, Vivian," she called with a gentle, but commanding voice. A moment passed until a rustle of leaves could be heard, and the lone doe that had run off earlier, stepped cautiously back into the tiny clearing. The doe's large ears perked when she saw the young woman and warily began to approach her. "Shift back into your original form. You still need to learn how to control that animal's instincts," the young woman stated and folded her arms underneath her midnight-blue robes.

                The doe tilted her head and twitched her ears slightly, as if contemplating the young woman's request. Taking a small step back, the doe made up her mind and allowed her body to shift and change form. Hooves became hands and feet, and her long muzzle pulled back into a more humanoid face, as well as her large ears. Lifting herself to stand upright, the doe had finished her transformation back into her original form of a human. She appeared to be around the same age as the other young woman, the only main difference was the race she had become. The other attributes she had were the long, ankle-length, violet hair that swayed peacefully in the wind, and her deep maroon eyes that seemed faded. Her attire consisted of a short, black dress overlapped by a dark red one that split like an upside-down "V" below the waist

                 Vivian, as the other young woman had called her, rubbed her right arm uneasily as she looked up at her. "I guess I still need to work on that, huh? This is the fifth time I've choked! I can't believe it! Just the idea of that 'thing' getting the chance to rip me apart isn't really something I look forward to, Pure. I know you said Malco's trained and everything, but shouldn't he be in a cage? I don't want him jumping out at me when I'm least expecting it," Vivian argued and dropped her hands to her sides.

                  The woman she had spoken to, now known as Pure, raised a slender brow at Vivian before answering her. "That is the reason for your training, Vivian. You cannot lock away the problem and just expect it to disappear. You need to prepare yourself to take on the unexpected, no matter what. So far, the animal's instincts you have dealt with have been over-powering your own mind; you must learn how to control that. If you succeed in this, your reactions to sudden attacks will increase, and that will allow your shape shifting to be more fluid and attainable. And as far as Malco's actions go, you should know by now that he will do you no harm. I believe he is completely incapable of 'ripping you apart'....from a reasonable point of view," she pointed out. Pausing for a moment, Pure glanced over her shoulder at the unconscious beast that they had been calling 'Malco'. It seemed ironic that the hunter had become the hunted of two shape-shifting female deer. Such was not uncommon to either of the young women.

                   "For your sake, I hope you're right. But there's one thing I don't understand. How can he endure what happens to him when I have more of a chance of getting myself killed? Doesn't he ever get hurt after doing this?" Vivian questioned. _I know I would be if I were in his place__, _she thought silently. She made her way over to the fallen beast before continuing, "I think you might've overdone it this time though; you knocked him out pretty hard. I'm surprised he hasn't---gahh!" Cursing under her breath, she jumped back and ended up standing beside Pure as she watched the fallen beast's top canines begin to elongate into lethal, dagger-like fangs; each a third of the size of a katana. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of the creature climbing back on all fours again, though its figure was much larger than before, and trot nonchalantly in their direction. Too aghast to say anything more, she took a step behind her supposed 'teacher' just as the beast stopped before them and sat down, as if waiting to be instructed.

                   Pure had merely smiled and patted the beast on the head. "Thank you, Malco, you did very well. I propose we take a break for now, so I suggest that you head home," she looked over her shoulder at Vivian, "And maybe we should work on that fear of yours as well, since you've seemed to acquaint yourself enough to Malco." Smiling once more, she let him slip out from under her hand and watched as he took off into the darkness of the thickets before turning to her pupil. "Well?"

                   Taking a step back from her teacher, Vivian waved her hands in front of her to oppose. "Please no. The last thing I need right now is dealing with a damn spider. That's more than enough to make me run," she stated uneasily. Taking a quick moment to think up a different subject for her teacher to place her attention on, she blurted out, "Um...how about a vacation? Maybe we could go to Japan or something. How does that sound? You know what they say about 'all work and no play'." Vivian shook her finger at Pure, and then folded her arms as she waited for an answer.

                    "Even though I know how much you're trying to change the subject, I'll give you credit for this one. Come to think of it, we probably could use a little vacation before getting back to training." Gazing through the treetops behind Vivian, she silently calculated the amount of time it would take to get to the island of Japan. Dusk had already come and gone, bringing the entire area into a blanket of darkness where the only source of light were the shimmering stars and the luminescence of the moon. As Pure finished her calculations, she lowered her eyes back onto her student. "If we leave now, we could make good timing once we arrive there. What do you say? You game?" 

                     Overcome with excitement, Vivian leapt into the air, thrusting her fist up high as she hovered. "You bet! Alright! Let's get goin' sister!" She spun around and hightailed it into the night sky and flew miles above the treetops. Getting a rather good distance from her instructor, she smirked to herself and counted the seconds it would take for Pure to catch up to her. Within only ten seconds time, Vivian suddenly spotted the dark outlining of her instructor actually waiting for her fifty yards ahead. "How did you get in front of me?" She flew faster to catch up to her instructor, who only laughed and took off again, still slightly ahead of her. "Hey! That's not fair! You're faster than me!" When she finally caught up to Pure, they both laughed in their own high-spiritedness and continued on their route toward the small island: Japan.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note:** This will probably be the only chapter that I'll be using an episode from the Trunks Saga. After this chapter, everything will be completely changed when my two characters drop by. I might add a few more, but just wait!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own DBZ!! Wahhhhh!!

                                                                                                         **Alteration**

**Chapter** **Two**

            "Kaaa…meee….haaa…meee.…HAAAAA!!!!"

            A rocket of energy skimmed over the ocean's surface, causing the waters to dip in its wake. The source of the practice attack was a short, bald man, who had been wearing an orange gi, and stood in ankle-deep ocean water on the beach of a small island. His name was Krillin, a monk-turned-fighter since training under Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit. After his trip and death on Namek, which the tyrant Frieza had killed him, then was revived by the dragonballs by his friends and later had to fight Garlic Jr. and his lackeys, he was determined to improve his training. He wanted to be ready for his best friend, Goku, to return. Everyone thought he had vanished along with Planet Namek, when it exploded, after his battle with Frieza. Shenlon, the dragon from Earth's dragonballs, proved them all wrong when they tried to wish him back to life, but discovered that he was still alive.

            It's been a year and a half since Goku's absence and almost that same amount of time Krillin had used for his training, if not anything else. He no longer had Maron to raise his spirits, since they had broken up. He believed it was for the best though. Now he had been training at the Kame House with his former teacher in hopes that he could become as strong as Goku. 

            He watched his attack slice through ocean and smiled in self-pride. "Oooh yea," Krillin chuckled.

            "Look out below!" Turtle warned, jumping up in the air. Krillin gave him a confused look. "Ahh! Tidal wave!"

            Krillin turned and noticed a rather large wave towering over the tiny island he was on. "Yikes!" The waves crashed down with brutal force and swallowed the entire island, including Krillin, Turtle, and Master Roshi. It quickly calmed and lowered back down to normal sea level, leaving the island and its occupants unmoved, surprisingly. Krillin was still standing in the same spot as before and he grimaced at the after work of his attack. _Still not good enough_, he scolded himself mentally.

            A few yards away, Roshi was sprawled on a beach chair, now covered with seaweed; his porn magazine lay drenched on the ground beside him. He sat up after the wave had passed and looked over at where Krillin had been training for the past couple hours. "Mmm…he's been so serious since he broke up with Maron," he commented.

            "No way…that won't cut it. Yeah…I gotta turn it up a notch," Krillin continued to lecture himself.

            Roshi bent down and picked up his magazine from the ground and started to brush it off. "You know, I bet I can teach Krillin a thing or two about getting along with the ladies," he suggested in a conniving tone. 

            Turtle lifted his head from the ground and looked up at the old man. "Getting them mad, you mean," he corrected. Roshi sweat-dropped as he bouced up in the air in discountenance and eventually fell over.

            Meanwhile, Krillin gazed up to the sky, his mind wandering elsewhere as he thought when his friend would return. _I know you'll be back someday, Goku. And whatever it is you're called to do, I'll be here to help. I'll be ready_, he promised.

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**_CRASH!!!_**

****A Capsule Corp ship collided onto the ground, creating a rather large crater on impact, just behind the Capsule Corporation building. A cloud a dust billowed out from the ship after its unceremonious landing and traveled between the crevices of the CC buildings. In the midst of the clouds of dirt, Bulma's mother stood with a tray equipped with a pot of tea and a few cups atop it.

            "Oh, I didn't know we had any guests dropping by. Goodness! I definitely need to put on another pot of tea," Bulma's mother said in her normal, cheery voice that went along with how much of a blonde ditz she was.

            A metallic ramp lowered to the ground on one side of the ship just when Yamcha, Puar, and Bulma ran out of the CC home to see what the loud crash had been caused by. Yamcha quickly placed himself in front of Bulma's mother and prepared himself to fight whoever was in the ship. He watched as the door slid open on the spacecraft, followed by Vegeta, the Saiya-jin prince, who stepped through the doorway soon after. He was a very stubborn, hostile prince at that; someone Yamcha would never approve of. The saiya-jin stopped halfway down the ramp and faced the spectators.

            "Vegeta! What do you want?" Yamcha sneered. He never trusted the saiya-jin ever since he had been killed by one of his manic saibamen. Plus, he was aware that this particular saiya-jin was determined to destroy his long-time friend, Goku.

            "Oh my. Maybe you prefer some…coffee?" Bulma's mother implied, still capable of keeping her happy tone. 

            "I was hoping that Kakkarot might've finally returned," Vegeta stated, peering down at them.

            "What? No way! You never found him in space?" Yamcha asked in shock.

            Vegeta scowled and leapt down from the ramp and landed in front of Yamcha. He was dressed in the same attire he had left in; his armor still had the large hole in front, along with a smaller one over his chest when Frieza killed him back on Namek. The saiya-jin prince glowered at the man before him. "Don't remind me. I'm angry enough to hurt somebody, and pounding you might just be the therapy I need." 

            "Hey guys? What's that awful smell?" Bulma asked and walked up between Yamcha and Vegeta. She looked at Vegeta and poked his chest armor, causing him to flinch slightly from the contact. "Oh, it's you," she concluded, beginning to grow disgusted of his lack of hygiene, "When's the last time you bathed there, bud? You need a bath." Bulma swept her finger away from him and pointed in the direction of Capsule Corp. "Please, this way." She started walking off, leaving Vegeta to just stare at her as she took her request along with her. 

            Bulma paused momentarily, realizing that Vegeta hadn't budged. She glared over her shoulder at him "Well? What?! Do you want me to roll out the red carpet?!" she snapped.

            "Wha--rrrrr..." Vegeta growled, then places his fists on his hips before following her finally into the house, grumbling in the process.

            "Unreal," Yamcha commented as he watched the whole scene in uncertainty. He was surprised with Bulma's tongue around the mass murderer; someone he still considered an enemy since Vegeta first came to earth. 

            "I hope she knows what she's doing," Puar said, floating up beside Yamcha.

            "Hey…does anyone take lemon?" Bulma's mother asked, still standing where she had been. She was absent-mindedly pouring the tea over the brim of a cup, causing it to overflow onto the ground as she watched her daughter and Vegeta walk toward the CC building. 

            A little while later, Bulma threw Vegeta's dirty clothes into the washer in repulsion of the scent. She laid out a new pair of clothing, consisting of a pink shirt that read "Badman" on the back, tight yellow pants, and green tennis shoes. After laying them on a small counter, she looked over toward the bathroom where Vegeta was presently taking a shower. 

            "Hey, you! I left you some fresh clothes!" Bulma called out, and then paused for a moment, not hearing any response. "Hel-lo!? You alive in there?!"

            "I heard you! You can leave now!" came the annoyed, raucous voice of Vegeta.

            "Why yes, master, your wish is my command! Arghh!" Bulma stomped out of the room, frustrated with the prince's rudeness.

             Vegeta stared up at the showerhead as the water pounded down upon his sour face. He scowled with dislike after the woman had thrown her fit. _The female species…such an enigma_, he thought in annoyance.

             Outside on the balcony, Krillin, Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong were relaxing at a table, getting ready for a meal. Krillin had apparently stopped by for chat, taking a needed break from his training. He leaned back on his chair and placed his hands behind his head.

             "Yeah, that Vegeta is nothing but trouble. He's so unpredictable…it's hard to tell what his motives are," Krillin stated.

             "I think he just wants to find Goku. Poor guy, he's obsessed," Yamcha replied.

             Just then, Bulma walked through the sliding door and onto the balcony, deciding to include herself in the others' conversation. "He's used to getting what he wants, that's all. He's like a spoiled little kid," she commented.

              "Man, sounds like you," Yamcha smirked over his shoulder at her.

              Bulma paid him no mind, but only rolled her eyes at his remark. Her attention was soon caught by a shouting voice inside of the CC building.

              "Hello?! Servant woman! Bring me a drying cloth, at once!" the saiya-jin demanded. Bulma growled in an angry tone, glaring daggers over her shoulder in the direction of the bathroom. "Woman?! Can you hear me?!" Vegeta shouted, growing irritated by her incompetence. 

              Bulma spun around to face the doorway and placed her hands on her hips as she leaned forward to yell back at the ill-mannered saiya-jin. "I hear you, but my name is BULMA, and I am NOT your servant, so say please! Hmph!" she turned to the side, her nose pointed high in the air as she awaited Vegeta's response.

              "Arghh! Forget about the stupid drying cloth then!"

              Bulma glared back at the doorway. "Suit yourself! Drip-dry, you jerk!"

              "What in the--? Is this some kind of joke?!" Vegeta's voice sounded baffled and annoyed.

              "Is what a joke?"

              Vegeta held up the clothes that Bulma had left for him, his face clearly had the look of alarm upon it "These garments that you left…are they for a man or a woman? They're pink!"

              "Come on! It's the style here!" Bulma declared in an optimistic voice. 

              Vegeta was taken aback by this piece of information, but managed to shut his gaping mouth. "Men in pink, how bizarre…" 

              Outside, Bulma winked deviously at her friends, who all broke into a fit of laughter at the notion.

              "This is ridiculous!" Vegeta yelled in outrage as he stepped onto the balcony in the brightly colored clothes. "I'm a warrior! Not a…a variety of flower!" He gritted his teeth furiously. His fists were clenched at his sides and shook as he tried to keep his temper in check.

              "Well, you smell good,' Bulma said slyly as she grinned at him. She broke into a fit of laughter once more, her friends doing the same.

              "Stop that!! Stop it or I'll blast you all!!" Vegeta roared.

              The laughter abruptly ceased and they all looked at Vegeta with bewilderment. Bulma turned to face the saiya-jin, her hands clasped behind her back. "Loosen up. Fighting's no fun. Just relax," she leaned forward slightly, "If you want to find Goku, just stay here, he'll come. I've known Goku since he was five years old, trust me, he'll be back." _I just know he will_, she assured herself.

              A few hours later, Bulma and her guests, except for Krillin, sat outside at a table that was placed in the backyard of the Capsule Corp. building. A grill was set up beside them; shish kabobs and spare ribs giving off the tasty aroma that they were indeed done. 

               "Oh man, Bulma, this is great! I'm piggin out here!" Oolong said in delight while stuffing his face with food.

               Suddenly, a large energy bolted through the saiya-jin's senses, causing him to rise to his feet and slam his fist on the table. "So he failed after all!" Vegeta exclaimed as his glass fell to the ground and shattered, "Frieza's still alive…and he's coming!"

               "Wait! How do you know? Maybe it could be somebody else! Come on!" Yamcha argued from across the table.

               "I know! I make it my business to know! Unlike you."

               Yamcha stood up and knocked his chair to the ground in the process. He glared at Vegeta and clenched his fists. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

               "Hey, Vegeta? Would you like a little more barbeque sauce on your spare ribs?" Bulma asked, holding up the bottle. She had been unaware of the squabble between the two men.

               Vegeta's eyes widened, a sweat drop appeared on the side of his head, and he wavered a bit at the unusual timing of Bulma's question. "Sure. Why not."

                "Well, my money's on you guys. We can leave if you wanna fight him here," Oolong said unenthusiastically, holding a shish kabob near his mouth.

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                At the time, Piccolo had been up in the snowy mountains, doing his usual meditating and training, since Goku's absence. He too had felt the fiend's power descending upon Earth. Out of great exasperation, Piccolo let his ki burst out from his body, causing part of the snow-covered mountain beside him to crumble into an avalanche. He remained hovering in the air, the snow fragments falling over him as he had his arms and legs extended.

                He looked to sky in astonishment as he realized that the tyrant was still alive. "Frieza…there's no way!"

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                Yamcha and Vegeta had cleared out of Capsule Corp and flew in the direction they had sensed Frieza coming from. The saiya-jin was enraged of the notion that the monster had not been defeated. He kept his speed up, leaving Yamcha behind to struggle to match his pace. Yamcha had no clue as to where Vegeta was leading him, or even if he knew exactly where Frieza would be. In truth, he had no idea when or where the tyrant would be landing.

_                I can't believe how fast Vegeta is. I can hardly keep up with him_, Yamcha commented mentally.

                At the moment, Vegeta had been tossing his own thoughts over again in his mind as he flew. _Perhaps Kakkarot wasn't as strong as I had imagined after all. Frieza's still alive, and I can sense that his power level is even greater than before. But I'll soon show him. So is mine_, he growled in his mind. He clenched his fists menacingly, causing veins to protrude from his hands.

                They both landed a short time later, and took in their location. High cliffs and endless, barren terrain were the only things that surrounded them. It was an isolated place to land a ship, where no huge cities were inhabited. 

                 "This is the place where he'll be touching down," Vegeta confirmed.

                 "Are you sure, Vegeta?" Yamcha asked with a hint of doubt.

                 "Yes, I'm sure, now zip it! I don't want him to know we're waiting."

                 Yamcha looked nervously over his shoulder at the saiya-jin prince. He never had any intention of awaiting Frieza's arrival; he already knew what horrible things the brute had done in the past. Having died on one occasion already, he wasn't about to repeat the experience over again.

                 An approaching figure in the sky soon caught his attention in the midst of his thoughts. As it drew closer, he recognized it was one of the Capsule vessels, and that the pilot was none other than Bulma; also accompanied by Puar. 

                 "Hello down there!" Bulma called out.

                 "It's Bulma!" Yamcha announced.

                 Vegeta only glanced gruffly over his shoulder at him, irritated by the fact that the woman was including herself in their company. She was foolish to be even near the vicinity where Frieza would shortly be landing.

                 "Vegeta! Yamcha! I'm coming in!" she informed them as she waved out of the window of her ship. She kept a suitable distance from the two men as she set the ship down onto the desiccated grounds. Puar hovered out of the vessel and over toward Yamcha just as Bulma hopped out and onto the ground.

                 "Yamcha!" Puar squeaked gleefully, still hovering toward him.

                 "What in the world are you two doing here?!" Yamcha demanded, causing Puar to stop short and falter in the air.

                 Bulma stepped boldly toward Yamcha and placed her hands on her hips. "We came to see Frieza. I missed him on Namek, and I am not going to let that happen again," she declared.

                 "Are you crazy?! Do you realize what he'll do to you when he finds you here?!"

                 "Yes, of course I do. He'll come down and blow up the planet…but I want to see him before he does it. What's so wrong with that?" She only received a baffled look from Yamcha as she gave her reason almost eagerly. Smirking, she lifted her chin slightly as she presented her second raison d'être, "Besides, I hear he's kinda cute."

                 A short silence was all she got from either of them, before Vegeta took his attention off of her and placed it back onto the cliffs that surrounded them.

                 "It's amazing how every time you open your mouth you prove you're an idiot," the saiya-jin snubbed.

                 Yamcha heard and sensed the approach of two more ki signals coming from behind him. "Huh?" He turned around to see a tall, bald, three-eyed man and a small mime-like child land nearby. "Tien! Chiaotzu!" he identified with gratification.

                 They both smiled in welcome, Chiaotzu laughing in delight. He suddenly stopped his laughter as he realized who had been accompanying Yamcha at the time. His eyes grew wide in alarm as he gawked at the saiya-jin standing near him.

                 "Vegeta…I didn't realize you were going to be here too," Tien said, breaking Chiaotzu's stupor.

                 "Is that o-kay?" Vegeta asked scornfully.

                 Tien pulled off the extra blankets from his shoulders that he had used to keep himself warm while he and Chiaotzu were in the snow-regions. "As a matter of fact; it isn't. I still haven't forgotten what happened the last time we met. You disgust me." He let the garments fall to the ground at his feet, and then he finally removed his robes, leaving only his white tank top to cover his built chest. Sneering, he looked over to his companion. "How can you stomach him, Yamcha?" 

                  "Hah! Loser!" Vegeta taunted.

                  "What?!" Tien tightened his fists.

                  Yamcha quickly placed himself between the two, who were apparently just itching for a fight. "Hey! Cool it guys! This is no time to fight!"

                  Tien managed to regain his composure and stepped over to the side, his attention now on the ki signal of the unfriendly visitor. "It's Frieza, isn't it? How long till he lands?"

                  "Could be any time now."

                  "Be quiet!! I'd rather Frieza's scouters didn't detect us because of your--incessant--jabbering!!" Vegeta bellowed. After the quick silence, he grinned cruelly and looked over at a cliff-side. "Besides, all this scary talk is upsetting the Namek."

                  "The Namek?" Yamcha asked, puzzled. He peered over in the direction Vegeta had been looking and spotted Piccolo standing at the very top of the cliff, his back to them. "Piccolo! How long have you been standing there?"

                  "Long enough to hear all of your senseless bickering," Piccolo glimpsed over his shoulder at them in disapproval, and then placed his interest over to the left. "I'm surprised you haven't noticed we got company…"

                  "Company?"

                  "What are you talking about, Piccolo? Is it one of Frieza's goons or just another brute trying to take over the universe with the dragonballs?" Bulma inquired.

                  Piccolo's ears twitched slightly. "I'm not sure. There are two of them…" he paused for a moment, picking up yet another ki, "Wait…there's three."

                  "What?! Three of them?!"

                  "Piccolo, are you sure you're just not sensing Krillin or the others?" Yamcha insisted.

                  "Are you saying I can't tell the difference between Krillin and another stranger's energy signal?" Piccolo tested.

                  "No…"

                  "Hmph! They're no threat. I can take care of them myself, but I'd rather save my energy for Frieza than wasting it on a bunch of mangy pests," Vegeta scoffed.

                  "That would be foolish, Vegeta. Goku failed in killing Frieza even after he transformed into a super saiya-jin, so don't get too overconfident if you're going to fight him," Piccolo paused a second before continuing, "Plus, we don't know if these strangers are on our side or not."

                  "You all have a very bad judge of character, if you ask me," Vegeta remarked more so to himself, then folded his arms over his chest. "And I don't want to hear the word super saiya-jin and that baka, third-class Kakkarot in the same sentence."

                  Just then, Krillin and Gohan flew toward the Z Senshi and landed a few yards from them. Gohan had put on his saiyan battle armor after he found out that Frieza, the slayer of many planets, was still alive and heading for earth. He could have sworn his father had taken care of that beast once and for all; mostly when he realized his dad had turned into the legendary super saiya-jin. Now, he was on his way and Gohan's father still hadn't returned home.

                  "Hey there!" Krillin greeted the others.

                  "Wow! Gohan, Krillin, you made it!" Bulma celebrated cheerfully as she waved her arms over her head at them.

                  "Hey! Any word from Goku?"" Yamcha asked.

                  Krillin and Gohan lowered their heads and shook them in unison. Bulma came out of her happy mood and let her arms drop to her sides as she groaned.

                  "Just…thought I'd ask," Yamcha said almost apologetically.

                  Suddenly, Piccolo's attention was torn from the three stanger's ki signals, to a more threatening one at the time. His eyes widened at the realization that Frieza was finally there. "He's here!!"

                  A large spaceship lowered through the clouds and soared overhead the Z Senshi. They looked on in horror as the ship passed and landed over the ridge. They could sense the monster onboard, as well as another. Frieza and his father, King Cold, had arrived on earth.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Finally, I finished my third chapter! Sorry this one took so long, but I've been busy moving. It took awhile to get everything into our new house, since my parents didn't rent a Moving truck. Anyway, I've been working on this in my extra time at work and at home; mostly handwriting it, until we got our computer set up. Things are getting more interesting in this chapter. And there's an actual battle scene! *gasp* But just wait till you see what happens to my and my friend, Nikki's, character during this chapter. I'm not giving it away though! You just have to read and find out. ^_~

**Disclaimer: **For the third time, no, I don't own DBZ. *****huffs* But I do own Pure, Korroc, and any other non-DBZ character, except for Vivian. She belongs to Nikki (aka Vivi, author of "In Scott's Protective Eyes").

"…talking…"

_...thinking…_

                                                                                            **Alteration**

**Chapter Three**

            Stars and darkness loomed overhead, rough grounds and the occasional surface tides of water laid below. Each passed so swiftly, it could only be made out as a blur of motion. The two seemingly young travelers had been making good timing during their trip to the large islands of Japan. They could sense that dawn was nearing and the sun was waiting silently to be greeted back into the morning sky.

            The only problem was, flight progress wasn't on Vivian's side at the time. Flying a quarter way across the world, which seemed like much more, was wearing down her energy. Normally, she'd use her fused scepters as a flying mechanism: sitting and relaxing, as they would travel. Her teacher had recently been enforcing her to use more of her inner ki to fly, rather than an object to transport her from one place to another. She was told that in battle it would be more to her advantage as well.

            "Sensei? How much further is it?" Vivian called from behind.

            "We should be there before the sun rises," Pure confirmed, and then glanced over her shoulder at her pupil. "You're not getting worn out already, are you?"

            "Yeah right. I can take more than a little trip like this."

            Pure raised a questioning brow at her student, sensing that her energy level was indeed lowering at a steady rate. She wondered how much longer Vivian would choose to push herself and if she'd bother to confess that she was tiring at all. It wouldn't surprise Pure in the least if her student continued to deny the weakening state she was actually in. Vivian's personality and attitude had become a second nature to her now. Her reactions to certain things were almost easily readable. 

            "Good. A couple hundred more miles and we should be there."

            Vivian's shoulders sagged at the information. _A couple hundred? I don't know how much more of this I can take_, she whined to herself. Taking a breath, Vivian gathered more of her inner ki to keep up with her relentless instructor in the cool night sky. She watched her closely, hypnotized by the glow and essence of her mysterious aura, and was puzzled by what her true potential held. 

            As Pure returned her attention back to the eternity of darkness ahead of her, a sudden movement caught her eye. Narrowing her dragonesque pupils, she focused on the multiple shadows that were suddenly darting around her and her student. _Looks like our plans are going to be delayed_, Pure commented mentally. She halted abruptly in the air, hearing Vivian almost run into her.

            "Whoa!" Vivian yelped, stopping herself before she slammed into her instructor. She regained her composure in the air and tried to see why Pure had stopped all of a sudden. "Hey, Pure, what's the deal? We're not going to make it there before sunrise if we—"

            "Quiet," Pure interrupted, "We've got company."

            Vivian blinked in bewilderment and glanced over her shoulder for any possible followers. Seeing nothing conspicuous, she turned back to her instructor; her attention was elsewhere. _What's going on? She's not expecting me to sense anyone, is she? I can't sense people's life energy like she can. She never taught me how to yet. Pure should know... _Her thoughts were unexpectedly cut short when her instructor spun around and sent an energy orb racing right by her head, missing her by millimeters. She widened her eyes in absolute shock: the side of her neck burning slightly from the rocketing orb. Shaking her head, she came back to her senses, and then was pushed forward as the orb had struck its intended target.

            "What the hell are you trying to do?! Kill me?!" Vivian burst out as she looked up at her instructor. The explosion from the blast lit up her face; visibly showing the look of total alarm upon her features. "A little warning would be appreciated next time you try to do that!"

            Pure lowered her extended arm and responded to her student's outburst with a cold stare. Her Elvin ears twitched slightly as she listened to the dozen other movements around them. The shockwave from her blast had settled quickly, causing her long hair to whip across her face, then rest back onto her shoulders. 

            "Demons," Pure spat, bile rising in her throat at the mere mention of the creatures. She glared over her pupil's shoulder to the blood red eyes of one of the demons. Then, all hell broke loose.

            The dark shadows circled around the two young women and commenced diving at them from every direction. Their true features could not be distinguished; only the dozen or so menacing eyes could be seen through the dimly lit sky. Night clouds concealed more than half of the moon that hung above, making it harder to spot the creatures. Their main target had turned to the most vulnerable and unarmed woman: Vivian. Noticing that her eyesight wasn't as keen as her mistress', five of the demons raced straight toward her.

            "Vivi! Five at twelve o'clock!" Pure warned, then spun around, round housing one of the demons that targeted herself. _These damn creatures never learn._ Reaching her right hand out beside her, she opened her palm, blue sparks dancing about her fingertips. The sparks then began to rotate hastily, taking on the form of a small rod. She gripped the rod firmly as the blue sparks solidified, raising it horizontally in front of her as it suddenly elongated into a six-foot staff, made purely out of diamond. The ancient designs that were carved along it glowed intensely, as did the transparent orb that was placed atop it.

            Hearing her teacher call out, Vivian immediately moved aside just as the first wave of demons dove by. "Shit!" she cursed, then pulled out two scepters from under the top layer of her garments. "Just great! You guys picked the worst time to throw a surprise attack on me!" Vivian growled in annoyance, her eyes darting back and forth as she searched for the creatures. _Perfect. How am I supposed to fight something I can't even see? This is crazy!_

Another group of five demons took their turn diving down upon Pure, whose aura was now in sapphire flame. They spread their torn wings and soared over her head, aiming their claws at her eyes in hopes of blinding her. Aware that this woman was not to be taken lightly, they continued their assault of lunging at her from the treetops and murky clouds. What the creatures were met with was no less than a brutal counter attack; which had been a long-range blast of pure energy, eliminating three of the five demons to a pile of charred flesh.

            Before the last two demons could regain their bearings in the air, the woman had already disappeared from sight. She quickly reappeared behind them, followed by a bright violet-blue net that had been cast out of her staff. Holding her free hand out, she smirked and balled it into a tight fist. The creatures only had enough time to screech in alarm as the net ensnared them like a bubble, and then constricted until it vanished, passing through them completely. Pure turned around and flew over to her struggling pupil as the last two demons she attacked fell in bloody portions onto the ground below.

            Meanwhile, Vivian was striving to keep the creatures at bay. Her energy nearly spent, she swung her scepters wildly at the diving shadows, knocking one or two demons away for a moment. "Get the hell away from me, you maggots!" she snapped, batting another demon into the trees. She held her scepters over her head and conjured up one of her elemental skills. Pulling her scepters apart, she sent out a hastening mix of ice/water directly at the two demons that were racing toward her. "Get lost!"

            Both creatures bellowed in protest as the wave of ice/water slammed into them, crystallizing and shattering them to pieces. The frozen remnants fell from the sky, followed by the four remaining demons that unexpectedly dove out of the clouds above. They soared downward, wings tucked back and claws outstretched, shrieking like mad. The leading demon held its jaw open as a dark ball of energy began to form in its mouth, then repetitively fired several of them down upon Vivian. 

            After she had cast her elemental attack, Vivian heard cries from above and looked up in time to see the leading creature spitting out several black orbs in her direction. She yelped in surprise, jumping aside as the first orb rushed past. Her eyes widened when she realized the orbs were homed in on her energy signal and the one that had raced by her quickly shot back. _Not good._ Taking a quick glance around, Vivian let herself lower close to the treetops as the multiple dark orbs followed close behind. Lifting one of her dormant scepters directly in the air, she channeled what was left of her energy into a thin beam that pierced the night sky, striking a few of the orbs and killing one of the last four demons. She watched as the final three creatures rapidly descended upon her, along with the handful of dark orbs that continued there tracking. Panting in exertion, Vivian held her two scepters level at her sides, getting into a defensive position. _This is it…I'm spent. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea…_

Her body finally gave out, causing her to lose flight, and plummet downward into the trees. She only had enough breath to scream when her eyes caught the sight of something worse than death below her: a creature that took on the form of a living nightmare. Rotting flesh and blackish-red blood enveloped its entire body. Its eyes flared crimson as she peered into their depths; ominous reptilian pupils narrowed as they gazed upon their falling prey, salivating jaws opened wide. 

            Vivian scrambled to grab onto passing tree branches or anything else she could possibly snag. _Please, not like this. Don't let me die like this,_ she pleaded mentally. Before the horrid beast had a chance to devour the flailing woman, she was suddenly lifted back into the safety of the night sky. Her rescue was soon followed by a small shock of power that suddenly transferred into her body through her wrist from whoever was holding onto her, giving her enough energy to hover. Gasping for air, Vivian glanced over her shoulder to her savior: her teacher. She realized they had stopped just above the treetops, Pure now glaring downward where the being was and released Vivian from her grasp. Vivian began frantically searching the sky above for the hunting demons and homing orbs. When she spotted them closing in from behind, she started to cry out in warning to her instructor, but Pure was already a step ahead of her. She had placed her left foot back, along with her arm, which she held straight out behind her, aiming for the oncoming attackers. A blank expression masked her face as she opened her palm, releasing five blue ki orbs from the tips of her fingers and one intense white energy blast from the center of her hand. Vivian's jaw dropped as she observed three of the orbs engulf the remaining demons, vanquishing them into nothingness. The remaining pair of spheres had fused into the white blast, causing the end to explode outward, sending over a dozen beams of light through the night sky and obliterating the pursuing dark orbs.

            Vivian snapped back to her senses when she remembered the creature that was still sitting below them. She gazed down through the trees and tapped on her instructor's shoulder as her face paled. "Sensei, it's moving…"

            Pure turned her attention to the hovering beast below them. Her mouth curved into a vindictive sneer as she glowered down at the monster. "What business do you have here, filth?"

            The beast made a short, deriding snarl at the woman, then finally spoke in an abnormal, unfathomable voice. "Same as always, my dear. You are well aware of this. I require your services."

            "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline your invitation this time. I'm through with that profession."

            "You really don't have any choice now, do you?" His tone lowered to a sinister growl. "It is something of which you can _never_ escape. Not even in death."

            Pure snorted and folded her arms beneath her robes. "Don't toy with me, Korroc. I'm in no mood for this. Now, I believe I've made myself clear when I said I was not interested in your offer. So could you leave us be?"

            At this time, Vivian had already hovered back, putting as much space between herself and the beast as possible. She made sure that her instructor was in front of her, lest the beast suddenly turn its attention onto herself. The conversation they were inevitably having at the moment had been confusing her to no end. Her teacher undoubtedly knew the creature personally, but the biggest question was how. In Vivian's point of view, her teacher might as well been a prostitute who misguidedly took this monster as a customer of some sort. _Oh my god, that's so disgusting! Pure would never do anything like that, especially with that…that thing! She couldn't possibly mean _that_ kind of profession, it's just not like her. But then again, she never really talked about her past, _her thoughts wandered. _Well, I don't care how she knows him. I so don't want that monster hanging around here any longer._

"Why don't you slither back into whatever filthy hole you crawled out of, you repulsive creature!"

            The discussion between Pure and the beast entitled Korroc came to an abrupt halt. Both turned their eyes onto the lavender-hair woman and had the look of astonishment upon their faces. They had forgotten that Vivian was there since the start of the conversation, until now. Her teacher stared at her for a moment until she broke out of her stunned state. 

            "Vivian, what are you doing? Are you out of your mind?!" Pure lectured in a low tone, attempting not to be heard by the creature.

            Korroc's eyes narrowed at the outspoken woman, irritation clearly evident in his voice as he spoke. "I would have thought you would take in a less foolish student, my dear. Her insolence could get her killed." His reptilian eyes traveled back over to Pure. "More or less yourself."

            Pure's head snapped forward, glaring intensely at the beast. She immediately took on a defensive position, her sapphire aura flaring wildly around her body. The grip on her mystic staff tightened as she balanced it beside her, free hand itching from the elemental fire that was sparking off her palm. "Are you challenging me, Korroc?!"

            His tone altered to that of an eager maniac in front of an all-you-can-eat buffet as he grinned anxiously at the feisty woman. "Let's find out, shall we?" With that, Korroc lunged upward at the two women, dark fire igniting on his claws. As he expected, Pure had leapt out of his path, only to let him have full access to her greatest weakness: her companion. The sound of a terrified scream filled the night air, causing the monster's bloodthirsty cravings to heighten even more, his deathly gaze locked on his sworn enemy's comrade. _I'll have her at my mercy yet! _the beast declared in his mind.

            Pure spun around in the air upon hearing the scream of her student. Her eyes grew wide in realization of what her dire mistake had caused her. "Korroc, no!" she cried out in despair, but her cries fell upon deaf ears. Without thinking, Pure vanished from the spot and reappeared in front of Vivian just before the demon reached her. She grimaced in pain as Korroc's lethal claws tore down her left shoulder as he struck, leaving behind scorching trails of black fire that tortured her flesh. _Gods, that hurts…._ Lifting her unharmed hand, she placed it against her wounded shoulder, her shirt all but torn in half. She struggled to keep a hold of her staff, which was slowly slipping from the weakened grasp of her left hand. Pure had been well aware of the fact that the beast would have undoubtedly killed Vivian, if not for her intervention. Both Korroc's intentions and motives made psychotic human killers seem like mere kittens. This was child's play.

            The traumatizing scene before Vivian caused her mouth to open in silent scream. She saw a flow of thick, red blood trailing down her instructor's front side; which now had been pouring down into the forest below them. _Oh no…Pure…. _She tried to speak, to cry out to her instructor, but no sound came from her lips. Her body was frozen in suspended animation from the sight of so much blood and the demon that was hovering just a few feet in front of her.

            "Foolish wench! Spare me your pitiful emotions, it makes you weak," Korroc sneered, revolted with the persistent woman. "Although, I could be generous enough to exchange her life for yours, seeing that you've done such a good job of taking your companion's fatal wound onto yourself. Such a pity. I had hoped your body would be fresh for the taking. It seems now I might have better use of your friend here. What use do I have of a battered-up carcass?"

            A deep snarl escaped Pure's throat as she glowered up at the demon before her. The torn flesh and muscle where Korroc had struck her was already halfway mended, her healing abilities doing their laborious work. "Keep your filthy claws off her, Korroc. You won't get a second warning." Her breath came out in short rasps and she glanced over her shoulder at Vivian, then in one fluid motion she lifted her staff and slashed it vertically in the air to her left. An intense violet light tore through the sky, followed by a surge of lightning that cracked up and down the entrance of a portal. A shock of wind caused her hair to thrash across her face and Pure hovered a few feet back from the monster and clasped her free hand on Vivian's arm as she stopped next to her. "I'm the one you want, so leave her out of this," Pure demanded as she slowly guided her student near the portal, watching the fiend sharply.

            "Pure…" Vivian suddenly whispered, her voice wavering. "…Do you know what you're doing? You've already been injured…." She gazed along her teacher's front left shoulder and saw the three deep slash marks embedded in her flesh. She could hear as well as smell the burning of raw tissue within each lesion. It made Vivian's skin crawl.

            "My wounds will heal, so don't worry yourself, Vivian. Your safety is more important right now," Pure answered inaudibly, then paused momentarily, watching Korroc continue to stare them down. Her shoulder screamed as if it were on fire as she prolonged her therapeutic healing just a few minutes longer. "…Take the gateway."

            "What?" Vivian looked at her teacher in bewilderment, and then she caught sight of the glowing portal beside them. "But I—"

            "You try my patience, wench! If you are so hasty to take your friend's place, then do so now. I will not tolerate waiting for so long," Korroc snapped, cutting Vivian off.

            Both of the women looked over to the impatient demon, then back at each other. Pure placed her staff against Vivian's back and quickly shoved her into the blinding portal before she had a chance to object. _This is for your own safety, Vivian, _she stated telepathically to her student before her mind and scent vanished from the world. _I hope it lasts…_

            As Vivian disappeared from sight, the demon let out an earsplitting roar that shook the entire forest. Pure turned her eyes onto the furious beast with a face marked with seriousness. She held her injured arm up beside her, and placed her staff horizontal in order to close the portal if necessary. "Your fight is with me now, Korroc."

            "I'm growing rather tired of your attitude, sorceress. Your constant disregard for me will not go without punishment," the demon growled. 

            "Why; is it a sin? How ironic can you get?" Pure spat.

            "Silence! Perhaps you might learn to respect me once I've destroyed all that you hold dear to you; starting with your friend!" Korroc held his right claw at his side and gathered a dangerous amount of dark energy; condensing it ten fold to the size of a tennis ball. He let out another blood-curdling roar as he leapt toward the portal, intent on destroying it.

            Pure placed herself between the demon and the portal, acknowledging the verity that her student would perish if it were destroyed. "Your efforts will be in vain, demon filth!" she yelled and let her arm fall to her side, causing the portal to shrink. Resorting to a defensive position, Pure quickly formed an emerald-lit energy shield in front of her to take in most of the impact of the demon's grotesque body. She felt her muscles ripple and her wound scream in agony, as Korroc slammed full-force into her shield, using his own to overpower her.

            The unexpected happened next, catching Pure off guard as the demon had a sudden change in plan and drove the condensed dark energy through her barrier. He sent her flying backwards, slipping into the portal with her just before it sealed shut. They were met with a blinding white light that flashed over them, and then quickly vanished as the sun took its place. Pure felt herself fall a short distance, until her body finally collided into the rough ground, knocking the wind out of her as she landed on her chest and slid to a stop; dry dirt billowing up around her. Her senses were filled with the scent of foreign lands, and she heard the faint sounds of conversation nearby. Wherever they were, she knew they would be discovered. It would only be a matter of time.

            The familiar words she spoke from earlier, only this time coming from an unfamiliar person, reached her keen Elvin ears like a far-off echo as she slipped in and out of consciousness. "…We've got company." Then, her vision slipped into darkness….


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry it took so long to update this. I'm already working on the next chapter and I've been held up with school anyway. But I hope you all like this, since I've finally mixed all the characters together. Have fun and REVIEW!  
  
**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own DBZ, so don't sue me!  
  
**Alteration  
**  
**Chapter Four  
**  
Terror and shock washed over the Z warriors as they watched Frieza's ship land a short distance away. Bulma had sunk to the ground, clutching Puar tightly against her chest, as she whined in fear. The others just stared for a few moments, trying to fathom what they had just seen. Without Goku's help, they would surely die fighting against Frieza. Only Vegeta seemed to be unconcerned with that fact, since now he had the chance to avenge his people.  
  
"It's like I dreamed. Frieza...he's really here..." Gohan said nervously.  
  
"Gohan...try to focus, bro. We need you," Krillin attempted to persuade him.  
  
"Now, there's no room for mistakes. We've all got to keep our power levels suppressed or else Frieza will pick us up on his scouters," Vegeta ordered.  
  
Piccolo walked up behind Gohan and placed a hand on his shoulder in confidence. "Ready?" He received a self-assured nod from his small student and he returned the gesture.  
  
"This is crazy! I've never felt anything anywhere close to the amount of power I'm sensing right now!" Yamcha accredited as he looked away from where the tyrant landed.  
  
"I hate to say it, Yamcha, but this is only the tip of the iceberg," Gohan included as he looked over to his panicked companion.  
  
"There's no way we're going to last very long against a massive force like that!" Tien confirmed.  
  
"Hey, you guys are kidding, right? I mean, you're not suggesting that we attack him? Like Tien said, we'd all be wiped out. I'm telling you, Frieza's a monster...and attacking him is suicide!" Yamcha attempted to convince them.  
  
"But we have to try, Yamcha. Unless we stop Frieza right here and now, you may as well kiss the entire planet goodbye," Piccolo said in a determined tone. The mere thought of the planet being destroyed caused Gohan and Krillin to lower their eyes to the ground in dismay.  
  
"He's right, you know. You really have no choice. So what say we put an end to all this pathetic whimpering and go find Frieza! Before he finds us...." Vegeta sneered impenitently.  
  
A gust of wind whipped around them, letting the dry sands swirl over the desert grounds and settle back down. There was an inexplicable eeriness in the area that spread throughout the group, making them uneasy. The notion of having three more energy signals in the area was more than enough to put everyone on the edge. Placing it aside, they quickly took off at a sprint, heading toward the tyrant's landing spot. Gohan was left close to the rear of the group, helping Bulma climb over jutting rocks and steep cliffs.  
  
_Why me? I mean, I just got wished back and now I have to face Frieza_? Yamcha thought silently to himself as he followed the group none- too-enthusiastically. Just as Bulma and Gohan had reached the next cliff, he stopped in his tracks and clenched his fists in infamy. "I...I don't think I can do this, you guys!" They both glanced down at him in slight shock as he suddenly attempted to back out.  
  
Pure slipped in and out of consciousness for a few moments, until she was finally met with the blinding light of the sun. Her pupils dilated, then narrowed back into their abnormal, dragonesque state. She lifted her head slightly and winced, feeling the result of healing her wounds. Pressing her hand down against the hot rocks and sand, she pushed herself up on her hands and knees and glimpsed over her shoulder to her formerly aware student.  
  
Vivian watched her mentor closely as she attempted to stand. Her eyes were suddenly focused on the fissures beneath her feet and became aware of the odd shifting as she started to rise. "Pure, m—"she began to shout, but her mentor had instantly dropped before her warning could be heard. Instinctively, she rushed to the edge of the crumbling precipice and slid to the edge as she reached out for her instructor's hand, but to no avail. Instead, she had grasped nothing but air, and then was taken over the ridge as well. Yelping in surprise, she managed to grab a hold of the solid rim of the cliff side and dangle several hundred feet over the ground. "This has _not_ been my day," she muttered under her breath. Looking below her, she watched her instructor plummet downward, nearing a spaceship.  
  
As she fell through the air, Pure suddenly felt her shoulder crack as she slammed into the slope of the rock face. She tumbled head over heals through the rocks and bramble, opening fresh wounds on the way. Pain wracked her entire body, until she hit the level surface of the ground, once again sliding to a stop, but on her side with her dislocated shoulder beneath her. She lay motionless for a few moments and allowed her body to mend itself as she listened to strange, foreign voices conversing close by. It took her only a moment to comprehend their dialect and even less to figure out she had landed near trouble. She ignored them for the time being, focusing on healing her new injuries. She lifted her upper body off the ground, leaving her feeble arm dangle lifeless at her side. Placing her unmoving hand flat on the ground, she held onto her elbow and pushed her shoulder down onto her arm. She clenched her teeth as an audible popping noise was heard as her shoulder went back into place. _Damn this vessel_, she cursed inwardly.  
  
Pure sat up on her knees, rubbing her shoulder slightly as the pain abated and her wounds fully healed themselves. Her hand traveled up to her throat, her senses suddenly detecting a dark substance ravaging her blood. She fell forward onto her hands, and her body broke out in a cold sweat that could be seen clearly on her face. Her breathing became erratic as she stared at the rocks and sand beneath her, the pupils of her eyes beginning to burn.  
  
Placing her forehead against the ground, she squeezed her eyes shut, her hands tightening into fists. "You bastard..." Pure growled silently. Her voice could be heard inwardly as well as outwardly; directing it toward the demon violating her body. "Get out of me, you filthy parasite."  
  
An echo of sadistic laughter was the only response Pure had been met with. The demon drilled through her mind, making its first attempt to control every aspect of her body. Every small concern for where she was and who was watching had been all but forgotten. She placed her concentration on driving the beast out of her body.  
  
In the distance, the Z fighters reached the top of a cliff ledge, just barely able to make out what was going on below. Vegeta, in the lead, slid to a halt before he got to the ledge, eyes growing wide as his senses were suddenly overwhelmed with another powerful energy level originating at the base of the cliff where the tyrant was. It took a few moments before the rest of the group sensed the same thing.  
  
"Guys? Hey! What's going on?" Bulma asked in confusion as she noticed everyone go still.  
  
Krillin staggered back as the new life energy hit him by surprise. "...I'm sensing another huge power level and...it..."  
  
"And this one makes Frieza seem like nothing..." Tien finished in awe.  
  
"You know, guys, it's not too late. We can still turn around and go home if we want...right?" Yamcha mentioned in a wavering tone.  
  
"Be strong, Yamcha."  
  
_Incredible. I've never sensed anything like this before. Where would someone with this kind of power have come from_? Vegeta thought to himself in astonishment.  
  
All the while, Frieza and his father looked on as the strange woman seemed to mutter incoherent sentences under her breath and battle against a mental disability. King Cold still kept his arms folded and his expression apathetic. Whatever the human was doing, it was none of his concern nor interest.  
  
"What a pleasant surprise..." King Cold said in minor amusement as he continued to watch the woman.  
  
Frieza glanced up at King Cold after a moment. "You're right, father. This may prove to be a bit more amusing than I had thought."  
  
He smiled and chuckled to himself, lifting one finger to fire his Death Beam at the woman. Without a second thought, he aimed and fired, the beam racing toward the suffering woman. Frieza watched with an anticipating expression; one that's only seen on the faces of crazed killers. As his attack reached its target, a small spark was seen before the beam deflected, shooting off into the sky and then exploding against a desolate cliffside. Frieza's grin was replaced with surprise and confusion as his Death Beam exploded elsewhere when the woman hadn't even moved to knock it aside.  
  
"She's not human...." he stated in a low tone. Curiosity got the best of him and he began to form a sphere of energy in the palm of his hand. "Let's see how well she handles this."  
  
The warriors staggered on their feet as they caught the aftershock of Frieza's exploding Death Beam; the rough ground beneath them rumbling feverishly. Bulma wobbled unsteadily as the others all managed to keep their footing, until hers finally gave way.  
  
"Sounds like the fight's starting without us!" Yamcha called out as he staggered back slightly from the quaking earth.  
  
"Ohh! Somebody stop this thing, I wanna get off!" Bulma complained as she fell onto the ground.  
  
"It might be my dad!" Gohan burst in excitement.  
  
"You think?" Krillin asked, looking over to him.  
  
"Who else would try to take on Frieza alone?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Vegeta glared over at the two companions, then sneered vehemently toward where the blast had come from. _Kakkarot? No! I absolutely refuse to believe it! There's no way his power level could have increased this much! It's impossible! Even if he is a super saiya-jin_, Vegeta argued with himself. He kept a firm stance on the ground as another explosion echoed throughout the area, sending several more tremors beneath them.  
  
"If that's Goku...." Krillin started, then took off at a run and leapt into the air, only to be snatched by the arm by the saiya-jin prince.  
  
"No! You'll give us all away! Until I know what we're dealing with, I prefer to remain unnoticed. So unless I tell you otherwise...", Vegeta commanded and threw the monk onto the ground beside him, "...you stay put!"  
  
Gohan quickly ran over to his friend and looked down at him in concern. "Are you hurt?"  
  
Krillin sat up, grimacing slightly and he looked to the ground. "Just my pride," he said solemnly. "Man, Gohan, what are we supposed to do?" He only received a shake of the head from his young comrade and he stared at the ground in growing disappointment. "What if Goku actually is over there...and what if he needs our help right now while we're just sitting here doing absolutely nothing?!" He slammed his fist into the rocky terrain beneath him, cracking and creating an indent the size of his fist from the impact.  
  
"Hey! Maybe it would help us to relax a little if we all sing a song," Bulma suggested cheerfully.  
  
"_Shut up_! You haven't had one useful thing to say since you got here! Now you stay in the back and keep quiet, _woman_. I don't have time for your stupidity right now," Vegeta growled in aggravation.  
  
"Wha...stupid?" Bulma whimpered, hurt by his words.  
  
"Take that back! Bulma isn't stupid," Yamcha snapped, stepping beside her in defense.  
  
"So you think I'm smart then?" She gave him an encouraged look.  
  
"Well, I guess you're as smart as you can be...being a girl and all." He was suddenly pulled sideways as Bulma grabbed him by the ear furiously.  
  
"I'm not letting go until you say you're sorry!"  
  
"Alright! Alright! I'm sorry!"  
  
Bulma finally let him go and folded her arms irritably as Gohan, Krillin, Puar and Chiaotzu began to laugh. "Oh, you make me _sick_!"  
  
Krillin gave an uneasy smile as he stopped laughing and looked down once more. "This might just be our last chance to laugh, you guys," Krillin pointed out, causing Bulma to frown worriedly.  
  
Another blast rang out over the barren lands before the warriors finally decided to take off again, leaving Bulma and Puar to wait a safe distance away, instead of taking them with. Bulma watched as they disappeared over the rocks and stomped her foot in anger.  
  
"Hey! Wait!" she called out, then sighed in irritation, realizing they either didn't hear her or simply did not care. "How could they just leave me behind like that?"  
  
"Does this mean we can go now?" Puar asked.  
  
"No. I won't turn back now! They think they can ditch me 'cause I'm a girl. But I'll show them what this girl can do. Those boys better watch out! 'Cause here I come!" Bulma laughed loudly to herself, leaving Puar to stare at her blankly. "Come on, Puar!" Bulma grabbed his tail and ran after the rest of the group. "We'll teach those guys not to run off and leave us!"  
  
By this time, Frieza was glaring at the woman in annoyance, his first energy blast evidently having no effect on her. Gathering three times as much energy in his next attack, he fired full force at the stranger, snarling as he did. His father had stepped forward; realizing how much power his son was putting into the blast to just annihilate a diminutive being.  
  
"Freiza! You'll destroy us all!" King Cold warned over the blast as it struck the stranger forcefully.  
  
The explosion resonated throughout the entire landscape, creating a rather large crater where the woman had been as it slammed into the earth. Just then, the energy began to swirl about after impact, then scatter outward, revealing the woman to be completely unscathed beneath it. Fanning away from the collision area, the rest of the energy shards impacted a variety of spots around the vast canyon.  
  
"What?!" Frieza griped.  
  
In the distance, the fighters reached the edge of another cliff and halted suddenly, peering into the damaged canyon below and were surprised at the scene they found before them. Bulma ran up behind the group and tried to wiggle her way to the front to see what was happening as smoke was spotted rising high in the air.  
  
"What the?" Vegeta exhaled in bewilderment as he stared at the panorama in front of him.  
  
"Hey! What's going on? I can't see!" Bulma complained. Peering over Yamcha's shoulder, her eyes widened as she took in the view of the canyon below. "What in the world happened down there, Yamcha?"  
  
Rising quickly in the air, Frieza held his arm over his head and began forming a tiny, red sphere over his extended finger as he glowered down at the woman. "It's time we put an end to this!" he declared.  
  
"Hurry up! Are you going to end this or not?" King Cold shouted up to his son impatiently.  
  
Bulma continued to stare through the smoke, totally oblivious to the figure of Frieza rising in the air, a deadly sphere growing over his hand. Someone tugged on the bottom of her skirt and she blinked after a moment and glanced down at the person trying to get her attention. It was Gohan. "Huh? What is it?"  
  
The little demi saiya-jin pointed skyward to where Frieza had been charging his Death Ball that had caused planet Namek to explode. Bulma followed his stare and almost fell back on the ground at what she saw. Her reaction was no more surprised compared to the rest of her friends.  
  
"What's he doing? He's crazy!" Bulma freaked.  
  
The huge ball of death grew quicker in each passing second, meaning the less time the Z Senshi had to think of a plan to prevent the inevitable. There was no way to stop the attack, unless it was somehow knocked aside (highly unlikely).  
  
"Everyone! Get down!" Krillin yelled, immediately followed by the sound of several bodies dropping to the ground.  
  
Frieza gathered what he could of his energy into his Death Ball. Grinning inwardly, he pulled back his hand and launched the sphere downward with a guttural yell. The sphere dropped slowly to the earth, closing in on the woman below. Pure was still hunting the demon in her blood, electrical sparks snapping off her body as she clenched her teeth. She directed the spiritual laces inside of her until she finally cornered the demon's dark substance, ensnaring it in its womb. Her eyes snapped open and time seemed to stop around her as she arched back up on her knees and opened her mouth to let out an earsplitting scream of defiance. A shockwave of pure spiritual energy exploded from her body in the same fashion of a nuclear bomb; destroying anything and everything in its path. Pitch blackness rose up into the sky; the demonic entity pouring out of Pure's open jaw.  
  
At that moment, time seemed to speed up once more, leaving Frieza baffled at the sudden explosion of energy and realizing his Death Ball was unexpectedly engulfed by the torturous shockwave from the woman.  
  
"There's no way!" Frieza pressed, losing his composure.  
  
"Impossible!" King Cold cursed in amazement.  
  
Seconds later, the woman closed her mouth, the shockwave still slowly creeping over the sands. Her dragonesque eyes jerked wider, causing a second detonation of pure energy to race outward, flattening everything in the vast canyon. The tyrant Frieza, his father, and his lackeys never had the chance to scream nor react as the blast hit them full force. Bodies turned to ash and crumbled into nothing in the wake of the powerful shockwave. The spaceship vanished milliseconds later, leaving no trace it was ever there to begin with.  
  
The Z Senshi only felt the ground tremble violently beneath them and a spine-chilling wave of calm energy that passed over them. It took only a few moments before the rumbling ceased and the explosion abated. Both Piccolo and Vegeta rose carefully to their feet and overlooked the area. Bulma sat up, still clutching onto Puar for dear life, while the rest of the group brushed off and went over to the ledge to see the outcome of the powerful blast.  
  
"Are we dead?" Bulma squeaked, her wide eyes darting side to side.  
  
"Quiet woman! We're not dead yet," Vegeta snapped, overly irritated by her constant whining. His attention was placed back over the cliff ledge and he was taken off guard by the sudden absence of Frieza's life energy. "...He's gone."  
  
"What? Who?" Bulma whimpered, clutching Puar to her chest.  
  
"Frieza," Piccolo confirmed bluntly. "His life force is gone. Vanished as if he were never here."  
  
"The other people he brought with are gone too," Tien stated. "So is the ship."  
  
Gohan pushed through the group and crawled to the cliff edge, peering down to find the source of the blast. His gaze fell upon a slumped figure of a young woman below. "Hey guys, look! Down there! Do you see her?" he pointed enthusiastically. He could clearly sense the blast had emanated from her and could hardly believe it.  
  
"What is that..._woman_ doing down there?" Vegeta demanded, denying how strong she'd have to be to release so much power.  
  
Without warning, the demi saiya-jin leapt off of the cliff ledge and started running toward the girl. The others came back to their senses, then ran off after Gohan, not wanting him to get too close to the strange visitor.  
  
Piccolo appeared a side of the child seconds later, snatching his wrist to prevent him from pursuing. Gohan had only come within fifty yards of the woman before his mentor had stopped him. He looked up at Piccolo in dismay, then back over to the stranger.  
  
"We need to see if she's okay, Mr. Piccolo," Gohan pleaded.  
  
"She's fine, Gohan. We're not going to bother her after what happened. Give her time to recuperate before charging at her," Piccolo explained. "Besides, we don't know if this woman is exactly friendly."  
  
"She has to be not all that bed. Didn't you see what she did to Frieza?"  
  
"We don't know that for certain, brat," Vegeta interrupted, walking passed them and stopping a few feet away. "For all we know, that woman could be another enemy. Though that wouldn't surprise me in the least."  
  
All Vegeta received were both stern looks from Gohan and Piccolo. He grunted, folding his arms and looking over to their strange savior. She had cautiously aroused and lifted her torso from the ground, sure as to not make a sound. He formed a condensed orb of energy in his hand, prepared if the woman should try anything. The saiya-jin prince watched closely as the woman's aura began to give off a soft hum of energy and draw him in, like a moth to a lamplight. His senses become fully focused on her, ignoring anything else around him. All voices were muffled from his hearing as he was drawn into the strange woman's aura that seemed to grow.  
  
"—geta...Vegeta!" a distant voice shouted.  
  
The Z Senshi stood stock still as they stared at the prince. They were unsure whether to save him or attack the woman. At that moment, the one thing they could make out was the obscure, sapphire ring that encircled the woman as well as Vegeta; who was hovering thirty feet in the air, eyes empty.  
  
"What's she doing to him?" Yamcha asked, his voice wavering. He held Bulma close to his chest as she shivered uneasily.  
  
"I don't know...but he's perfectly fine," Tien pointed out.  
  
"It seems to be an immediate defensive reaction," Piccolo interrupted, eyes narrowing at the blue ring around the woman. "Vegeta must have threatened her somehow. I don't blame him either."  
  
Gohan blinked up at his mentor, then looked up at Vegeta. He shifted to the side, trying to clearly see the prince's face and what caused the woman to hold him in suspended animation. Catching sight of a fading energy orb, he pointed upward and looked at Piccolo.  
  
"Look! He had energy in his hand! That's probably the reason she stuck him up there."  
  
"It's just like Vegeta to be hot headed like that," Bulma snorted. "He got what he deserved, if you ask me."  
  
"But Bulma, she didn't do anything to him. He's just stuck up there. At least she hasn't hurt him...yet."  
  
"If I were her, I would. Stupid jerk." She glared up at the saiya-jin prince, and then glanced down at the woman responsible for keeping him poised in the air. Bulma tilted her head slightly, soft music suddenly flowing through her as well as beautiful images that began to encompass her mind. Her cerulean eyes sparkled as she stared at the mysterious woman that stood in the distance. She was barely aware of the fact that the woman had rose to her feet at all, turning to look at the group in suspicion.  
  
Pure had regained her composure and finished cleansing her blood as she glanced over at the group of on-lookers. She had sensed the strongest of the group preparing to attack her, though his intentions were not clear. Placing a field of binding energy around him, she made sure he was kept immobilized in the air where she could keep an eye on him. Once that task had been done, she set out to find information on what kind of people she was dealing with. The only data she did find out was from listening to the strangers talking amongst one another. The one that had caught her eye had been the only female she spotted in the group; which was a blue-haired woman with a unique hairstyle. She noticed that 'Bulma', as the others had called her, was staring at her intently, no doubt enchanted by her harmonic aura. Pure gazed up to the vulnerable man she had caught in her telekinetic ring, sensing a familiarity about him. Shrugging it off, she released her hold on the man and turned around to look for her student. She was careful as to let her temporary prisoner lower to the ground without dropping him entirely.  
  
Once Vegeta had been lowered to the ground completely, he immediately came back to his senses, followed by a sharp gasp and a stream of obscenities that escaped his mouth. Piccolo, Tien, and Krillin had to pin the saiya-jin back from going all out on an attack on the woman.  
  
"How _dare_ you! Curse you, wretched woman!" Vegeta bellowed. He growled furiously, attempting to pull away from the three holding him back. "Who do you think you are treating the Prince of Saiya-jins in such a manner?! I will have your head for that, witch!"  
  
A wave of nausea suddenly swept over the entire group as the mysterious woman halted in her steps and glanced over her shoulder to the furious warrior. _No wonder he looked familiar...Saiya-jin..._. Her eyes narrowed defiantly at him, before she turned back around and continued walking.  
  
Vegeta had felt his throat tighten for a brief moment as the strangely enticing woman glared in his direction. Once she tore her hawk-like gaze from his, he shook his head and took a step forward; gathering his pride to provoke her to face him completely. He began to rant and rave at the woman, planning each word in his mind, and then throwing it out in the open. But when Vegeta finally realized that no sound carried through the air, he grasped his throat and staggered slightly. _What is this?! What's happened to my voice?!_ the prince panicked. He stared up at the departing woman and growled inwardly. _You cowardly witch! Take my voice, since you cannot bear to hear the truth? I will not let you walk away from me! Stop with these useless games and turn around!  
_  
Pure sighed in irritation as she hovered off the ground and continued toward where her student dangled. _Such a persistent and stubborn man, no wonder he's Prince of the Saiya-jins_, she thought silently, then directed her mind to his. _You had best hold your tongue, prince. You wouldn't want it getting you into trouble now, would you? After all, a saiya-jin with your kind of strength and ability should not be wasting his time with petty threats. You should really learn to back up your mouth._  
  
A short silence was all that Pure got in response before the man, at long last, chose not to argue. Instead, he watched her with a cold stare as he growled audibly; plotting several ways he'd rid of her. She ignored him for the time being and hovered up next to her student. _He has a strong spirit, I'll give him that much_, Pure commented to herself. Her mind remained closed to anyone who tried to invade it, mostly her student and the saiya-jin. Folding her arms, she stopped next to her pupil and tilted her head in question.  
  
"Pure, what are you staring at?! I'm kinda in the middle of a crisis here!" Vivian complained. "A little help would be great if it's not too much trouble!"  
  
Pure shook her head, and then pointed down at Vivian's feet. "You are aware of the fact that you can fly, right? Or have you forgotten that ability, Vivian?"  
  
Her student's face went black for a second, and then she smiled sheepishly and let go of the cliff ledge. Vivian stooped and hovered beside her teacher, rubbing the back of her head as she laughed uneasily. "...Oh...right! I knew that!" (_sweatdrop_)  
  
"Come on, let's go. We need to figure out what we're going to do, now that our vacation time has been delayed," Pure mentioned, moving on. She flew up onto the cliff ledge that Vivian had been dangling from and sat down. Her pupil followed suit.  
  
Vivian gathered herself together and leaned forward as she sat beside her mentor. She peered downward to where the group of warriors stood, watching them intently. "Who are they?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but not all of them are human," Pure stated.  
  
"I figured that. The green guy sort of gave that away." She pointed at Piccolo, and then took a moment before she spoke again. "Where are we anyway?"  
  
"Some parallel dimension. And I fear we have disrupted this one's normal cycle. That means we need to find Korroc quickly and leave this place."  
  
"You mean that nasty-looking demon you fought earlier? How do you propose we get him out of this dimension? Ask him nicely?"  
  
"We need a plan. I'm not sure if those creatures down there can help either." Pure glanced down at the mute saiya-jin. "But we might as well give it a try."  
  
Without another word, Pure slipped down from the cliff ledge and dropped quickly to the ground; her pupil tagging behind with more questions. Pure impacted the ground soundlessly, straightening upward just as swiftly and made her way toward the warriors. Vivian had made a less-than-graceful landing as she stumbled over the large rocks and nearly lost her balance on the sands. Her behavior was much excused, since being depleted of enough energy to only float in the air. She teetered slightly, then regained her balance and ran after her mentor.  
  
They could feel the entire band of warriors locking their eyes on them in suspicion as they approached. Those closest to them took a cautious step aside, save the saiya-jin prince. His anger seethed through to the surface, awaiting the chance when he'd threaten the woman with words that would make a challenging man shake in fear. He could not help but be entranced by the woman and at the same time curse her for being. Pure could easily sense the man's fury and confusion, dismissing it as she did with her hold onto his voice. Her gaze leveled with his, until she stopped a respectable distance, her gaze wandering over the rest of the group as she judged their strength and power.  
  
"...You're hiding something, woman," came the stumbling words from the prince.  
  
Of all the things Pure had been prepared to hear spew out of the saiya-jin's mouth it was not this. Her back visibly stiffened in anger and she glared at the man not even seven paces before her. She noticed a darkness that loomed in his eyes that sparked a sudden wave of alarm within her. The coldness she became ensnared with was from the saiya-jin's own mind, not of Korroc's. In that quick instant, she could sense sadness, loathing, and what was left of pride, all reflecting out of the dark coals of his eyes. She could sense a deep hurt as well, though buried well beneath the surface where it would never be shown.  
  
Pure pulled her mind away from the darkening abyss inside of the prince's gaze and managed to regard him in all seriousness. "I've lived my entire life in hiding," she told him flatly. "And do not think me a coward, for there is a fine line between cowardice and noble intentions. Although, you don't seem like the type that understands the meaning of such a thing."  
  
Before Vegeta had the chance to snap back, Piccolo stepped forward and interjected. "Just tell us who you are and why you're here. We've heard enough bickering for one day. Too much for my liking."  
  
The women glanced over to the tall, green Namek, then at each other. Vivian casually walked up behind Gohan and leaned forward slightly, trying to get a good look at him. She sent her mentor a questioning glance before Pure finally nodded in approval.  
  
"I guess you would call us occasional wanderers," Vivian said, making the young boy jerk forward in surprise and turn around. She smiled sweetly and straightened up once more. "Although dropping in on you people was completely unintentional. I apologize for any injustice we may have caused you."  
  
"Injustice? Are you kidding?" Yamcha commented, smiling at her. "You actually did us a favor. We owe you ladies big time. If it hadn't been for your friend here, Frieza would've beaten us for sure."  
  
"How would you know, Yamcha?" Bulma retorted. "You never even tried to fight him. You could've at least done something."  
  
"You're crazy if you think any of us could've possibly beaten that guy." He received a glare from Vegeta's direction. "Do you have any idea of how powerful that monster is?"  
  
"Was," Pure corrected. She stood between Piccolo and Vegeta, her arms folded. "But we have more pressing matters to attend to. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we must take our leave."  
  
The shortest man in the group fidgeted a little, and then rubbed the back of his bald head nervously before speaking. "...Um...well, maybe we could help you out. I mean...it's the least we can do."  
  
Vivian nodded her head vigorously. "That would be great." She caught Pure's gaze and took a small step back. "What do you think, sensei? Can they help?" Her voice lowered respectably, realizing she had overstepped her position.  
  
Pure lifted her chin, accepting the help from the group of foreigners. "I do not see a problem with it. But before we go anywhere, some introductions are needed, I believe. Sorry for the absence of formalities," she apologized, and then nodded her head in greeting. "My name is Pure, and this," she gestured to her pupil, "is my student, Vivian. You need not know more."  
  
"I'm assuming you already know who most of us are," Piccolo stated.  
  
"I don't!" Vivian, of course.  
  
The conversation continued nonetheless. "Yes, but I believe I have not gotten your name, young monk," Pure locked eyes with Krillin, causing him to stare down at the ground and shuffle his feet before she decided to speak after a few seconds, "or your three-eyed friend over there."  
  
Krillin stuttered for a moment, trying to find the right words to introduce himself. "Oh...uh, yeah. Sorry about that. Um...the name's Krillin. And that's Tien," he pointed out, trying to draw the woman's gaze away from him.  
  
She turned away from Krillin and made her way toward the three- eyed man. As she halted a few steps before him, she caught sight of a small, mime-like child hiding behind his leg. "Whose child is this?"  
  
"Oh. This is Chiaotzu," Tien mentioned politely. He peered down at his friend, who was still as a rock, staring back at the woman. His eyes rounded as she stared down at him, becoming hypnotized by her mere presence. He gave a small wave of the hand and hid behind Tien's leg without a sound.  
  
She remained silent for quite some time, moving along to look over the rest of the group, studying every aspect of their being to the last detail. Pausing momentarily, Pure noticed that both the saiya-jin prince and child were void of their sacred tails. Taking this piece of information into account for later use, she finally decided to turn away from the group and gaze at the horizon. Her senses flared as she began her search for the demon's trail. The warriors did not bless her with silence very long, on behalf of the stubborn prince suddenly losing his patience with her.  
  
"We're wasting our time out here, woman! Are you going to give us more information or not? I will not spend the entire day rotting out here in the sun!" Vegeta snapped.  
  
He received no reply.  
  
"Woman, are you deaf?!"  
  
Pure's head snapped to the side, her draconic eyes boring into the saiya-jin prince in annoyance, which suddenly switched to disbelief. She had caught sight of a winged creature at the corner of her eye. She was surprised that none of the others had detected the shadowed creature's presence as it began to dive down upon them from the clear skies at break-neck speed. One thing that hadn't surprised her was the fact that they didn't hear the swift, silent movement of the wind as it passed through the creature's wings. Removing that issue immediately from her mind, she brought her arms around in front of her and let her pure energy flow through her body and into her arms, which took on an electrical charge. Gathering the pristine energy into an orb that formed in her hands, she spun quickly around, firing her attack toward the demonic creature.  
  
The warriors reacted instinctively to this attack. At first, she had seemed to be aiming the blast at Vegeta for his impudence and rude tongue. They each took a step back and began forming their own counter-attacks until they finally realized her target was farther upward. The blast stormed just above the prince's shoulder, causing the hair on his neck to stand on end and a chill race up his spine. He shivered involuntarily, his teeth clenched as his gaze wavered on the sorceress before him.  
  
Unrelenting fury swept through the saiya-jin prince's body while the all-too-seemingly headstrong woman recomposed herself. "How dare you! What is the meaning of this?!" Vegeta demanded in outrage. He began to berate the woman with such coarse language that he never took notice to the dark shadow looming beside him.  
  
It wasn't until the sound of the creature impacting the ground beside the prince that he decided to shut his mouth. He, as did everyone else, watched as the creature slid across the rocky terrain and came to a halt at the woman's feet. She knelt down and reached out her hand to the creature just as its insides deteriorated onto the ground, leaving only its shell. Picking the dark-skin fabric off the ground, Pure stood up and glared at it in disgust.  
  
"A bit harsh, don't you think, Pure?" Vivian commented as she observed her mentor closely. The sight of the creature's skin was quite unsettling, but she managed to keep herself from losing her lunch. She did, however, note the disappointment on her mentor's face and the growing anger in her eyes. "What is it?"  
  
The dark fabric was unexpectedly thrown to the ground in animosity, causing Vivian to take a step back. She heard her mentor swear in a mix of her elvish and ancient tongue as she paced away from the group.  
  
"Damn thing may as well been a piece of cloth! _Balvork nyleu nyter_!" Pure spat then stopped herself a few strides to their left, her elven ears twitching vigorously. She turned, hearing the same such tongue being used by someone other than herself. Peering upward to where she saw the demon, she spotted a lone figure amidst the smoke from her attack.  
  
The others had hear the same strange language and gazed behind them to find a young man in probably his late teen years hovering in the air not that far from them. He had been brushing himself off and muttering curses under his breath, attempting to recompose himself. His hair was the deepest set of brown that it almost resembled black; including the bowl cut hairstyle. He wore a pair of baggy, gray pants, a long-sleeved blue jacket overtop a black muscle shirt, and a pair of yellow-black boots. Mounted on his back they could see the hilt of a bastard sword, easily attainable for combat use. There was an air of familiarity about him that Pure couldn't quite place her finger on either.  
  
The young stranger placed his arms to his sides and glared down at the warriors, his eyes intensely focused on Pure's very own pupil, Vivian....  
  
**Author's Note:** I know, I know, the cliffhanger will get on some people's nerves, but you'll figure out exactly why that young man is staring Vivian down. I don't want to ruin it for you, but please review! I want to see if this is any good. I will be updating it though later with the things missed from the episode. 


End file.
